Figure 4. Production of inflammatory cytokines is elevated in stimulated PBMCs from pediatric IBD patients using cannabis compared to non-users.

Multiplex analysis of cytokine production by previously frozen PBMC identified a significant increase in non-T cell-associated pro-inflammatory cytokines (A) IL-1β, IL-6 and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) as well as (B) TNFα and IL-8 but not in (C) IL-7, G-CSF and GM-CSF after 24h restimulation with anti-CD3/CD28 antibodies. Correlation analysis with phytocannabinoid THC-COOH identified a significant inverse correlation between cannabinoid levels and (D) IL-7, (E) IL-10, (F) G-CSF and (G) GM-CSF. Results represent mean±SEM for N ≥ 8. *P<0.05, **P<0.01.